The Nigerian Navy has commissioned four tactical operational bases to assist its personnel to tackle oil bunkering activities and other maritime crimes at the annual sea inspection exercise.
Speaking at the flag-off of its 2021 annual sea inspection, code-named ‘Exercise Quiet Waters’ on board the NNS Okpabana at the weekend in Onne, Rivers State, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, disclosed that the commissioned operational base will assist officers in the 2021 annual sea inspection which he said will last for three days.
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Vice Admiral Gambo said in addition to the commissioned operational base, 10 gunships and two helicopters have been deployed to tackle illegal oil bunkering and piracy in the Niger Delta waterways.
He said, “For the first time, we are going to have operational bases and four operating bases to be conducted back water exercises to be operating simultaneously with the operation we have at sea for the next three days which had already been flagged off by me.
“The CNS Annual Sea Inspection is aimed at assessing the operational readiness of the NN fleet ranging from operational capabilities, logistics support and personnel training among other assessment criteria.
“It is also pertinent to state that the Inspection comes against the backdrop of the remarkable strides attained in the significant reduction in cases of piracy and sea robbery in our maritime environment and the need to sustain the strategic momentum in our fight against maritime crimes.
“However, given the dynamic nature of maritime threats, the exercise is also intended to revise our operational deployments to reinvigorate the strategic deterrence posture and influence of the fleet in the defence of the nation’s maritime environment.”
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